Public opinion about marijuana and cannabinoids has changed significantly over the last several decades. Many states now allow the use of marijuana, THC, or cannabinoid products for medicinal purposes. The concept that some states (fewer) even allow the recreational usage of pot would have been hard to imagine 10 years ago.
Cannabinoids are any compounds produced by the cannabis plant (essentially, the marijuana plant). And we’re still discovering new things about cannabis despite the fact that it’s recently been legalized in several states. We often view these particular compounds as having widespread healing qualities. But research suggests a strong connection between the use of cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms but there are also conflicting studies.
Various forms of cannabinoids
At present, cannabinoids can be used in many forms. It isn’t only pot or weed or whatever name you want to give it. These days, THC and cannabinoids are available in pill form, as topical spreads, as inhaled mists, and more.
Any of these forms that have a THC level higher than 0.3% are technically still federally illegal and the available forms will differ by state. So it’s important to be careful when using cannabinoids.
The long-term complications and side effects of cannabinoid use are not well understood and that’s the problem. A great example is some new research into how your hearing is impacted by cannabinoid use.
Research linking hearing to cannabinoids
Whatever you want to call it, cannabinoids have long been associated with improving a large number of medical conditions. According to anecdotal evidence vertigo, nausea, and seizures are just a few of the conditions that cannabinoids can help. So researchers decided to find out if cannabinoids could treat tinnitus, too.
But what they discovered was that tinnitus symptoms can actually be caused by the use of cannabinoids. According to the research, over 20% of study participants who used cannabinoid products reported hearing a ringing in their ears. And tinnitus was never formerly experienced by those participants. Furthermore, marijuana users were 20-times more likely to describe experiencing tinnitus symptoms within 24 hours of consumption.
And for individuals who already cope with ringing in the ears, using marijuana may actually exacerbate the symptoms. So, it would seem, from this persuasive research, that the relationship between tinnitus and cannabinoids is not a positive one.
The research isn’t clear as to how the cannabinoids were used but it should be pointed out that smoking has also been connected to tinnitus symptoms.
Causes of tinnitus are unclear
The discovery of this connection doesn’t expose the root cause of the relationship. It’s quite clear that cannabinoids have an influence on the middle ear. But it’s much less evident what’s causing that impact.
There’s bound to be more research. Cannabinoids today come in so many varieties and forms that comprehending the underlying link between these substances and tinnitus might help individuals make better choices.
Beware the miracle cure
There has certainly been no scarcity of marketing hype around cannabinoids recently. That’s partly because mindsets associated with cannabinoids are quickly changing (and, to an extent, is also an indication of a wish to move away from opioids). But some negative effects can come from cannabinoid use, particularly with regards to your hearing and this is reflected in this new research.
You’ll never be able to avoid all of the cannabinoid enthusiasts and evangelists in the world–the marketing for cannabinoids has been especially intense lately.
But this research certainly indicates a powerful connection between tinnitus and cannabinoids. So if you have tinnitus–or if you’re worried about tinnitus–it may be worth steering clear of cannabinoids if you can, no matter how many adverts for CBD oil you may come across. The connection between cannabinoids and tinnitus symptoms is unclear at best, so it’s worth using some caution.
Call Today to Set Up an Appointment
References
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lio2.479
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5855477/
https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aaohnsf/82180